Sometimes it can seem like the digital world in which we live is becoming an increasingly dark and dangerous place. Each and every year, there seems to be more and more malware, spamware, trojans, hackers and a plethora of other digital nastiness just waiting to destroy your computer, or steal your personal info.

Luckily for us, the valiant folks at BitDefender, AVG, Kaspersky, Symantec, and Trend Micro work tirelessly to release new and improved antivirus software to act as our stalwart defenders.

Without further ado, here is SoftwareMedia’s list of the Top 5 Antivirus Software for 2013:

Number 5 on our list is Norton Antivirus 2013. Published by Symantec, Norton Antivirus stops viruses and spyware, allowing you to safely go online and share. They claim “five patented layers of protection” which quickly and accurately detect and eliminate viruses and spyware. Norton Antivirus also offers basic identity and password protection.

Norton Antivirus 2013 does a particularly good job at removing malware, although it is rather average at blocking the malware in the first place.

Independent testing labs like ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs have both officially certifies Norton’s technology for the identification and removal of viruses, and they received a VB100 certificate 9 out of the last 10 tests by Virus Bulletin.

Against exploits, Norton Antivirus 2013 has robust protection built in. When your system is under attack you will be immediately notified by a pop up and informed about what actions you should take.

While not the best Antivirus of 2013, Norton still beats out many competitors and provides a solid PC protection solution. If you’re already familiar with Norton’s user interface and aren’t interested in changing then choosing this product instead of the other, higher-rated Antivirus Software, is perfectly acceptable.

Coming in at #4 on our list is Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus Plus. Part of the Titanium line of security products, Antivirus Plus also gets bonus points for their user-friendly interface.

Antivirus Plus 2013 is very good at blocking malware attacks and is average to above average at removing the malware. It has accurate, but slow, spam filtering, a firewall booster and specifically test for and protects your Facebook privacy which is honestly pretty cool.

Unfortunately it can be difficult to install on already infested systems, so if you’re looking for an antivirus because you’ve already experienced an attack you should probably avoid Titanium Antivirus Plus.

Titanium Antivirus 2013 received average scores from the independent testing labs.

In conclusion, Antivirus Plus 2013 is a basic security software that will have everything the average consumer is looking for and is a decent choice for 2013, but there are better solutions.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 runs behind the scenes, boasting protection against viruses, trojans, rootkits and other threats without any significant impact on your PC’s performance. Their automatic download and installation features make this a great choice for new / inexperienced computer users.

Unlike Trend Micro’s Titanium Antivirus Plus Kaspersky Antivirus 2013 is easy to install, even on an infected system. The latest version features multiple scans that effectively remove malware, the Kaspersky Security Network identifies new threats, top-shelf phishing protection and protection against web based exploits.

The one main draw-back is that the special and multiple malware scans do take quite a long time, which can be frustrating.

In the Indenpendent Lab tests Kaspersky scores well. It’s most effective features are the anti-phishing functionality and exploit protection and prevention. Additionally, both of these features are traditionally reserved for more expensive Suites so that is a big plus in our book.

Kaspersky is a fantastic choice for Antivirus Software in 2013. While it’s not the very best most users will be very satisfied with Kaspersky AntiVirus 2013!

AVG AntiVirus 2013 comes in at #2 on our list. AVG is well-known in the antivirus world, offering exceptional protection that stops malware before it can even touch your PC. The software checks your files, links and emails before you even open them, and prevents all kinds of spying and data theft. AVG Antivirus 2013 even includes free Mobile protection for your smartphones and devices, and their free phone support earns huge bonus points.

AVG is famous for it’s free antivirus software, because it is so effective. Almost as effective as many commercial products on the market today. So we expect good things from their own commercial product: AVG Antvirus 2013.

AVG has great scores from the Independent Labs and is generally well reviewed by customers. It boasts an extremely accurate span filter (The best filter of any antivirus this year), a simplified firwewall and an online shield that blocks dangerous websites.

On the downside it can be tough getting the software installed on an already infested system, and is has a slower than average boot time, which can be annoying.

AVG Antivirus offers powerful protection, much like the free version, and to reiterate, it’s spam filtering is second to none. It does have some drawbacks, but if you can overlook them you will be very happy with this software.

And the Winner is…

At the top of our list for the Best Antivirus Software of 2013 is BitDefender Antivirus Plus. BitDefender goes above and beyond simple antivirus, and provides users with award-winning protection from viruses, malware, spyware and identity theft. It has a smooth installation process. It scans the system to search for anything that might hinder the process. Bitdefender achieved excellent results in teh independent teting done by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs.

Bitdefender Antivirus 2013 features stellar malware blocking and phishing protection, secure browsing for online transactions, specific Facebook and Twitter protection and even complete remote management, so you can check in from anywhere.

When cleaning up infested systems Bitdefender takes a bit longer than average, however it is very thorough.

Bitdefender Antivirus PLus 2013 is comprehensive and powerful, doing everything you’d expect an antivirus to do and then some. If you’re going to buy an Antivirus this year, we fully endorse Bitdefender.

I’ve used Kaspersky and BitDefender but i have to say, i personally like Kaspersky better. For my computer, ive never gotten a single problem. But with BitDefender, i’ve had a few problems in the past.

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